Self-locking seal.



No'. 739,037. v v PATENTBD SEPT. 15, 1903. E. TYDEN.

SELF LOCKING SEAL.

APBLIQATION FILED D30, 4, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented September 15, 1903.

EMIL TYDEN, OF HASTINGS, MICHIGAN.

SELF-LOCKING SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,037, dated September 15, 1903. Application filed December 4, 1902. Serial No. 133,887. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL TYDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hastings, in the county of Barry and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements .in Self-Locking Seals, of whichthe following is a specification,reference being had to the accom panyin g drawings, forming a part thereof.

- of the shell.

It consists of the features of construction set out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective viewof the whole device shown in locked position-that is, with the end of the strap inserted through the shell so as to be secured.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section at the line 2 2 on Fig.1, showing the parts in position before lockin Fig. 3 is a section at the line 3 3 on Fig. 2, showing the ring-holding sheath which constitutes the end of the strap which is permanently secured to the shell, the rings being assembled on the sheath in the position which they occupy prior to looking. I Fig. 4 is a sec-- tion at the line 4: 4 on Fig. 2, showing the bulb, the wall broken away to show the interior construction and position of the parts before locking. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the end of the strap which is permanently secured to the shell in the modified form of my device.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the position of parts in the modified form of my device before looking. Figs. 7 and 8 are views similar to Fig. 4., showing a modified form of my device. Fig. 9 is a section similar to Fig.

2, showing the parts in position after looking.

I make a strap 1, with a wing 2 at one end, adapted to be folded to form a sheath to be secured in the shell and through which the other end of the strap is inserted and which thus forms a path for the samethrough theshell. The shell is made .of two parts 3 3, which are clenched together at a transverse seam 4, the two parts being applied on the strap fromopposite ends andbrought together at a position to which thesheaih will protrude from both ends of the shell. At the fold 5 the sheath is cut away for a short distance, as seen at 6, and both sides of the sheath are cut to form apertures 77 and wings 8 8, which are made by turning outward in opposite directions the material struck out of said apertures. These wings project nearly at right angles to the plane-of the sheath, as seen in 59 9 are rings which are formed each with an opening 10 and are of such diameter that when passed onto the sheath at the cut-away portion 60f the fold they encompass the wings 8 8, being adapted to fit tightly on the three .edges, which they thus encircle, their elasticity causing them to hug the sheath at this position firmly. When mounted thus, the rings extend through the apertures 7, and

they are thus mounted with their openings 10 coinciding with the cavity of the sheaththat is to say, in the path of entry of the other end of the strap which is to be inserted through the sheath, and thereby through the bulb 0r shell, to become engaged with the rings. Such engagement is effected by releasing the rings from the sheath, and this is caused by the shoulder 11 on the edge of the strap, which follows the fold and which thus collides with the rings at rest in the cutaway portion 6, and by further insertion of the strap the rings are pushed downward until they run 0d one of the wings 8, which is made shorter than the other, so that the rings, being thus-released from the slight tension which held them firmly encompassing the sheath and its wings, tend to fly around through the apertures 7 7, taking their opening 10 away from coincidence with the said apertures and the inserted strap end at the slot 12, which at this position coincides in part or laps across the apertures 7 7, so that the rings thus flying around through the ap-v ertures 7 pass through the aperture 12 and are engaged with the strap end and thereafter hang loosely in the slots 7 and 12 of the sheath and strap, respectively. The strap, it will be seen, cannot be disengaged so long as any one of the rings is in' position such that its opening'lO does not register with the edge of the strap.

A modification of this invention is represented in Figs. 7 and 8. In this modified form the rings 9 are held in position on the sheath with their opening coinciding with the path of entry of the strap through the sheath by a modified construction of the latter. One wall of the sheath is provided with two parallel slots 13 13, and the opposite wall has also two slots 15 and 16, which, however, become merged after extending for a distance such as to form a tongue 1. between them. Said tongue 14 is sprung back from the plane of the metal of the sheath from which it is thus formed, and the rings are mounted in the sheath, as may be understood from Fig. 8, so that their openings are in the plane of the path of the strap through the sheath, the ring being passed through both the slots 13 13 and also through the slots 15 and 16 at both sides of the tongue 14, so that the latter presses on the inner side of the ring to hold its outer side against the extreme margins of the slots 15 and 16, respectively, thus tending to keep the ring in a plane transverse to the path of the strap through the sheath. The outer edge of the slot 16 at a short distance above the extremity of said tongue 14 is cut back away from said tongue, as seen at 17, a sufiicient distance to allow the ring when it is pushed down to the shoulder 17 sui'ficient space, so that the tongue 14 no longer holds it with any pressure against the edges of the slots 15 and 16. The ring is thus pushed down by l the shoulder 18, formed upon one edge of the I are caused to fly around by the reaction of the tongue 14, and their ends are thus passed through the slot 12 and immediately, being free from the tension of the finger, they drop down past the end of the finger and are thereafter engaged through the slots 13 13 of the sheath and the slot 12 of the strap, and disengagement cannot be effected Without bringing all the openings of the rings at the same time to the edge of the slot 12, and the impossibility of eifecting coincidence of these openings without getting access to the shell to manipulate the rings constitutes the security of the device when thus locked. The slots- 13 13, it will be seen, prevent the rings indi vidually from moving laterally, so as to escape from the slot 12 whenever they individually chance to stand with their openings at the edge of the slot, said slot being wider than the slot 13 of the sheath which is opposite it.

I claim- I 1. A self-locking seal, comprising a shell and strap for securing it to the object to be sealed, the shell being apertured to permit the end of the strap to pass through it, the strap haviugan aperture in the portion which is thus passed into the shell; a plurality of rings made normally open and means within the shell for holding the rings with their openings coinciding in the path of entry of the strap and means whereby the entry of the strap dislodges the rings when the aperture in the strap is at the openings of the latter.

2. A self-locking seal, comprising a hollow shell or body, a strap for securing it to the object to be sealed adapted to be inserted through the body, the latter having apertures for that purpose, and the strap having an aperture in the portion thus inserted; a plurality of rings made normally open within the shell and means holding them releasably with their openings all in the path of entry of the strap, and means whereby the strap releases the rings when their openings are'at the aperture in the strap and for disturbing the position of the rings to cause them when released to move their openings away from the strapaperture.

3. A self-locking seal, comprising a hollow shell; a strap for securing it to the object to be sealed adapted to enter the shell, the latter having an aperture for the purpose, the strap having an aperture at the portion which thus enters the shell; a plurality of ring-like elements in the shell made normally open and adapted to be entered at one side, and means holding them releasably with their openings which are thus adapted for entry in the path of entry of the strap; means for dislodging such elements and disturbing their position when the strap enters the shell to the position at which its aperture is at the openings of the rings.

4:. A self-locking seal, comprising a hollow body or shell; a strap for securing the shell to the object to be sealed, said strap being adapted to enter the shell, the latter being apertured for the purpose, the strap having an aperture at the portion which thus enters the shell; a plurality of open rings lodged in the shell; means for holding them with their openings in the path of entry of the strap, the strap being adapted to engage the rings at the farther side from the openings after entering the latter, to dislodge the rings from the holding devices while the ring-openings are at the strapaperture.

5. In a self-locking seal which comprises a shell and a strap for securing it to the object to be sealed, the shell being apertured to permit the strap to pass through it, a sheath about the path of the strap through the shell, the strap having an aperture in the portion which passes into the shell; a plurality of open rings Within the shell, the walls of the sheath having apertures for lodging the rings with their openings exposed in the path of entry of the strap; a finger which yieldingly holds the rings in planes transverse to the thrust of the strap through said path, the strap having a shoulder which encounters the rings at the side opposite their openings after the end of the strap has entered the rings at said openings to disengage them from said finger.

6. A self-locking seal comprising a shell and a strap for securing it to the object to be sealed, the shell being apertured to permit the strap to pass through it, the strap having an aperture in the portion which passes into the shell; a plurality of open rings within the shell; a spring-finger in the shell and means by which such finger cooperates to hold sealed, the shell being apertured to permit the strap to pass through it, and the strap having an aperture at the portion which thus passes into the shell; a sheath which forms a closed path for the strap through the shell, said sheath being apertured to admit the rings across said path; means for holding the rings releasably to the sheath with their openings in said path, and means by which the insertion of the strap releases the rings when the strap-aperture is at the ring-openings.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, Illinois, November 26,

s EMIL-TYDEN. Witnesses:-

CHAS. S. BURTON, FREDK. G. FISCHER. 

